


The Merman and The Prince

by TheEverlastingRandom, UnparalleledAngel



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Romance, True Love, fast burn, human!AU, it's like disney!, mermaid!au, not-so-slowburn, the odd saucy joke but overall very family friendly, very fast burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2018-12-23 02:46:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11980446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEverlastingRandom/pseuds/TheEverlastingRandom, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnparalleledAngel/pseuds/UnparalleledAngel
Summary: Mettaton, a merman who is in love with the human world, finds he would do anything to be a part of it. When he sees a human who catches his eye, he can't think of anything else but seeing him once again.His only barrier is the long-lived animosity between the humans and merfolk. If Undyne found out that Mettaton was in love with a human, all hell would break loose.Though, Mettaton has never been known to play by the rules...





	1. An Unfortunate Storm

Don’t go near the humans, they’re nothing but trouble.

That’s what Undyne always said. And she seemed to know what she was talking about, for the most part. As ruler of the seas, Undyne made it a strict rule to keep their kind a secret to the humans. The murderous, destructive, good-for-nothing humans. All they knew was carnage and massacre in Undyne’s opinion. And she had a right to think so too, her own face had been scarred by a human years back into her youth. She’d fought against one who had the gall to venture into her kingdom and attempt to capture one of them as a prize.

They’d taken her eye, she took their life.

No-one could argue that this wasn’t a fair trade. The human had arrived looking for trouble and their heroic queen had saved them all. Since that time, Undyne had done everything in her power to prevent the humans from coming into contact with them again. She practically moved the whole kingdom until they were deeper into the ocean’s solemn protection. Everything was darker there, devoid of the natural light that came with the sunlit waters of the higher levels. It took some getting used to, but the merfolk’s eyesight was strong and allowed them to see as well as they would on the upper levels. Though the gloomy atmosphere of the murky depths still pervaded, leaving a prolonged weariness on everyone who lived there.

But it was for the best. Undyne had her people at the forefront of her mind at all times, and if that meant they had to live in darkness until the humans’ stupidity inevitably drove them to extinction, that’s what they’d do. Nobody questioned it. Undyne wasn’t someone you wanted to cross, even without her powerful position as queen. In that sense “don’t go near the humans” was an easy task to carry out.

For most people.

There was one person in the sea kingdom that had a problem with Undyne’s supposedly simple rule. And that person, that one merman, was the queen’s son himself.

Mettaton.

He had been her son since childhood, taken in out of the goodness of Undyne’s heart when she found him abandoned and alone, desperate for someone to call a parent. Undyne stepped up to the role after some deliberation. She originally intended to give him away, to another home that would take in a young merboy, but as she looked after him, she grew fond of his ambitious, excitable mind and kept him as her own.

It also eased her mind to think that she could raise this boy as an heir to the throne. To make him strong, a leader. She could teach him the danger of humans and how the merfolk’s safety was of the utmost importance. She could live peacefully, knowing that someone sensible yet driven would be taking the throne after she passed.

Too bad for her, Mettaton wasn’t so easily influenced. She had found this out the hard way.

All her life she had taught him the danger of humans and he only grew more fascinated with them. He would collect any discarded items or mementos that drifted into their part of the ocean, and treasure them as though they were rare jewels from a mystical land full of wonder. She played a difficult role of taking these things from things as a child and scolding him, and yet he always seemed to find more, replenishing his collection once again. Eventually, she decided it was pointless to attempt to shelter him any longer. It was a harmless hobby. He liked the objects because they were different and interesting, as any child would. She was sure he’d grow out of it as the years passed.

Though, at the not-so-young age of 26, Mettaton was still very fond of his childhood fascination of humans. He had his own treasure trove, full of trinkets and knick-knacks he’d collected from his long, arduous journeys across the ocean. He kept this trove a secret, already knowing his mother’s reaction. He couldn’t quite explain his love of humans, it wasn’t like he knew one personally or had even seen one up close, but somehow that just made his interest stronger. They were mysterious to him, people who walked around on two legs, breathing and dancing, and who knows what else. And he wasn’t scared of them like others were. He knew what they’d done to Undyne but he couldn’t help but feel there was something... missing. That had only been one human. What if the others were different? Nice? He had known some pretty vile merfolk in his time, and some genuinely lovely ones too. Who’s to say the humans aren’t like that as well?

Mettaton just wasn’t convinced.

 

* * *

 

 

“Oh... We really shouldn’t be this high up, if Undyne finds out... Well, she’s not going to be happy...” Napstablook worried, bobbing alongside Mettaton regardless of their concerns. Napstablook was a jellyfish-like creature, their body made up of iridescent globules that floated around them in the water like sheets, making them look almost ghost-like. And when they were in the dark depths of the ocean, their body seemed to create its own light, brightening any dark corner and making any place seem more amiable.

Mettaton had been their friend since youth, almost as long as he’d lived with Undyne. They’d bonded through their lack of known family, both being abandoned at a cruelly young age. It was since then that they decided to just be each other’s family and called each other ‘cousin’ for fun. Eventually, it stuck.

Now that they were older, they never even questioned their relation to one another and nobody else did either. They were cousins and that’s all there was to it.

“Blooky, don’t be so silly. We’re just going to the surface for a while! What’s the worse that could happen?” Mettaton said, shaking his head as if they were making a big deal out of nothing.

Napstablook didn’t agree, “But I don’t want to go to the surface... What if a human sees us?”

Mettaton stopped and folded his arms, “Well that’s just it.”

“Huh?”

“We don’t know what would happen if a human saw us- maybe they’d be nice!” Mettaton said, nonchalant, carrying on swimming upwards.

“And... What if they try to kill us?” Napstablook said quietly, as though the words were caught in their throat.

But Mettaton just rolled his eyes, “Why is everyone around here so melodramatic? You always assume they’re going to kill you- but I’ve never seen one that looked very aggressive.”

“The fact that you’ve seen one at all is terrifying.”

“It’s incredible, not terrifying” Mettaton corrected, “And I wasn’t even very close, I could only just see them on the beach from afar- they seemed handsome!”

If they weren’t in such a concerning situation, Napstablook would have laughed at Mettaton’s insistence that this human he could barely see was ‘handsome’, but as it was, they let it slip by. Mettaton wasn’t someone who was easily argued with. The opinion Mettaton respected above all others was his own, and that meant there was no reasoning to be had with him. You agreed with him or you agreed with him. Those were your only options.

“Maybe you’ll see a human today, Blooky!” Mettaton enthused, completely enraptured by the idea, not quite understanding why Napstablook didn’t feel the same way.

Before Napstablook could protest any further, their attentions were drawn across the vast ocean horizon as a small dot of a person came into view, barely visible. Despite their distance, Napstablook could tell whoever they were heading straight towards them, and at a great speed. Mettaton followed Napstablook’s gaze, his heart beating a little faster when he saw what had distracted them.

“You don’t think that’s-”

“My mother? No- it couldn’t be,” Mettaton lied.

They both held their breath, silently hoping and praying that it wasn’t the queen. They couldn’t be caught this close to the surface, they wouldn’t get away with such a crime lightly. Not even the queen’s son would go by unpunished. And Mettaton knew better than anyone that she’d be even more furious to find her own son betraying her. Although this fact had never stopped him in the past.

They braced themselves, ready to flee at any moment, watching the little dot of a person grow into a more visible shape. And at last, they let go of their breath, seeing the shape transform into the familiar body of Shyren, their close friend.

“What are you two doing up here? I’ve been searching  _everywhere_ ,” Shyren said when she got close enough.

“We’re going to the surface. Joining?” Mettaton said, as though it was nothing to him. Just a normal trip. A nice swim. A pleasant journey with potential murderous, evil, humans. A nice day out!

Napstablook looked at her with pleading eyes, willing her to convince Mettaton that this was a bad idea.

To Napstablook’s relief, Shyren did just that, “That’s insane- we can’t go to the surface! I know you’ve been before-” Mettaton opened his mouth to protest but she didn’t let him, “And you’re going to say something like ‘what if humans aren’t as dangerous as we think’ but we don’t know that!”

Mettaton shut his mouth again. She’d taken the argument that hung so readily on his lips.

“Well, I’m going up there whether you two are or not,” He said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Napstablook, despite their potent fear, suddenly realised that they couldn’t let their cousin go alone. What if the worst happened and he needed help? Whether he’d been to the surface before or not, it didn’t make Mettaton invincible. Quite the contrary, in Napstablook’s eyes. It made him naive. Mettaton’s strong-willed mind often made him make decisions that were rash and foolish. But he played it off as being confident and determined. He aimed for what he wanted and didn’t let anything get in his way, not even logic. This made Napstablook want to protect him even more.

“Well... Maybe we won’t leave you up there alone...” Napstablook said after a moment of thought. They looked at Shyren to back them up, to which she sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, we know you’d just end up getting yourself into trouble and needing us to help you out,” She said, laughing gently.

A soft smile crept onto Mettaton’s lips as he rolled his eyes, “I’ve never gotten into trouble in my life!”

Shyren laughed in disbelief, “And that’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told.”

The trio swam upwards, past the rocky confines of their home and into the higher, more open spaces of the ocean, until the world around them began to get brighter, reaching levels the sun’s rays could reach. They couldn’t help but feel their mood lift as they got to this point, the illuminated water filling them with a new sense of curiosity for the world outside. Shyren and Napstablook even found themselves looking forward to finding out more about the surface, despite the fear that had been previously holding them back.

It was a long while before they finally reached the ocean’s surface. Their home was purposefully located in the deep depths of the ocean to keep them all out of harm’s way. It was placed there to prevent any contact between humans and mermaids but Mettaton only ever saw that as a challenge. When they made it at last, Mettaton was the first to break free of the water as he pushed his head out into the cool air. He looked around himself as the others joined him, looking as well.

They saw a whole lot of nothing.

“Well, I was hoping for a ship at least,” Mettaton complained, sighing. “I’ve always wanted to see a ship- they always look so incredibly large in the books. Enough to hold a whole army of humans-”

He stopped talking when he saw how terrified the other two looked at the thought of that many humans, sailing over the ocean in a huge man-made machine.

He smiled reassuringly, “But see- there’s none here now,” He scanned the horizon, “The only thing I can see is that big rock over there. Let’s go and lounge on it,” He said, setting off towards it hurriedly as the others chased after him. He’d noticed merfolk being mentioned in some of the human books he’d collected over the years- well, the books with pictures that could still be made out through the water-damage. And they always depicted their kind laying on rocks and looking beautiful. If Mettaton was going to get anything out of this day, it was to make that portrayal come true.

The rock was further away than he thought. It wouldn’t have been a difficult distance to travel if he hadn’t just swam from the ocean floor to the surface, but now he was beginning to feel the strain in his tail muscles. When he got to the rock he threw himself onto it and panted, knowing that he looked much less elegant than the merfolk in the books always appeared. Once he caught his breath, he righted himself and propped himself up on his elbow with the other hand on his hip and waited for friends to catch him up. It was obvious they were beginning to tire as well.

“Come on up,” Mettaton said, patting the rock next to him as he sat up straight.

Just as they went to hop up onto the rock, they stopped and sunk back into the water again, a startled look in their eyes.

“What is it?” Mettaton asked, looking around at what they’d seen.

The rock was a lot closer to the shore than he’d realised. He could now see the rocky cliffs and the sandy beaches of the one place Undyne would rather die than go near. Human territory. And not only that, the thing that made Shyren and Napstablook sink back into the sea down to their heads. The thing that made them want to bolt in fear if it wasn’t for their unaware friend who currently sat exposed on the only out-jutting rock on the horizon.

“A human,” Shyren whispered, her voice so quiet Mettaton could barely hear it. In fact, he wasn’t listening to her at all, the human had captivated his attention fully. Whoever they were sat in a small boat, the size of it rather disappointing in comparison to the magnificent ships Mettaton had read about. Regardless of that, Mettaton found himself enthralled. He’d never seen a human so close before, he could see the fine embellishments of their clothing, the soft features of their face and the fluffy curls of hair upon their head. And as he registered these details, he suddenly became aware of the fact that if he could see the human, they could probably see him too. As he was making this realisation, Shyren and Napstablook took hold of him and pulled him back into the water, to where he couldn’t be seen.

But he wasn’t done looking yet. This was the best opportunity he’d ever had and he wasn’t about to waste it out of fear of being seen. He poked his head back out of the water and peered around the rock and, just out of sheer interest, the others did the same, being careful not to get caught.

“He’s handsome,” Mettaton sighed, “He must be the same human I saw before- I think he comes out here often.”

“I don’t know... He doesn’t have any nice fins or scales...” Naptsablook noted.

“Oh, come on, darling. He has a gorgeous face. And just look at those beautiful clothes... I wonder if all humans dress like that or just him,” Mettaton mused as he watched him.

“We should probably head back now,” Shyren said after a moment, looking behind them at the sky, “A storm’s coming and we should get back before it starts.”

Mettaton reluctantly tore his eyes away from the human, who was currently reading something with avid interest, and looked at the clouds Shyren pointed out.

“We should be fine...” Mettaton said, staring at the clouds with frustration, as though they were here just to ruin his fun, “...The human, on the other hand, should probably go back to wherever he lives, right? Humans can’t breathe in water like we can- if that storm comes he could be in trouble.”

“I’m sure he’ll head back when he sees the clouds...” Napstablook said, wanting more than anything to go home now, “We can just leave him here and-”

“But he’s too busy reading he can’t see them,” Mettaton said, looking at him. There was a small smile on his face as he read, making Mettaton wonder what he was reading. It was certainly amusing him.

“That doesn’t matter,” Shyren said, her patience running out, “We have to go back- Undyne will be missing you by now,” And when Mettaton didn’t answer she sighed, “I’m sure he’ll be fine, humans must know how to look after themselves. He’ll probably see those clouds in a moment and go back- but we can’t stick around to find out.”

Mettaton didn’t look at her. His gaze was fixed on the beguiling figure before him. Seeing a human like this was something he’d dreamed of for years and now it was finally happening. He didn’t want to head back but, at long last, he turned to his friends and nodded.

“Okay, you’re right, I can’t keep _her majesty_  waiting any longer,” He said bitterly, diving under the water with them.

They were only swimming for a few seconds before they heard the storm hit, and their surrounding became shrouded in darkness. Mettaton looked up once more, not quite wanting to let go of that magical moment he’d had with the human. And as he did so, he saw the underside of the boat still in place, two paddles at either side moving frantically.

“He’s still there,” Mettaton gasped, making the other two follow his gaze.

No matter how much the paddles splashed, the boat barely seemed to move, the rough waves pulling it further out from the shore.

It was gut wrenching for Mettaton to watch.

Without thinking, and without checking to see if the others were following him, Mettaton swam upwards and shot up from the water, watching through rain-obscured eyes as the human tried his hardest to get the boat moving and panicking as the bottom of the boat filled with water. Mettaton held onto the rock for stability, fighting against the waves that threatened to pull him back into the ocean. But Mettaton wasn’t worried about himself, the storm couldn’t hurt him, all the storm could do was prevent him from helping this human.

The waves pulled him in the wrong direction and the winds pushed the boat to-and-fro, causing the human to struggle with his balance, trying with all his might to gain control of the situation. Mettaton didn’t want to approach him yet, he didn’t want him to be spotted if he  _did_ turn out to be violent, but he didn’t break his gaze from him either, ready to step in if needed. And then, as though a light had been turned on in his mind, Mettaton remembered the powers he had. He could try and effect the waves, if only slightly, to push him in the right direction. Mettaton’s magic wasn’t the strongest and he’d never used it to save humans before, but he had to try.

Without letting go of the rock, Mettaton held one arm out and closed his eyes, building up his magic within him and then pushing it outwards and down the path of his arm, through his fingers and into the waves. He noticed a small change, the water no longer seeming such a large enemy to the human and was pushing back against him less fervently.

But it wasn’t enough.

Mettaton tried harder, building up more magic and using all of his strength, the waves rippling to his influence gently and then more vigorously as he gathered more power. With an agonising show of stamina, Mettaton kept his magic going, building up the resilience to the forceful weather as he did so. He saw the human’s features lighten briefly when he found he was moving back in the correct direction, and Mettaton would have smiled too if he wasn’t so caught up in saving him.

For a moment Mettaton let himself believe he’d done it, that if he just kept it up a while longer, the human would make it back to the shore where he was safe. But just as he allowed himself to hope, a large gust of wind blew and toppled the boat and tipped the human with it, making him fall to the water with a panicked yell. Mettaton’s heart lurched as he watched, his limbs paralyzed for a split second before jumping into action. He dived under the water to where the human was thrashing to swim back upwards, losing energy and a worrying amount of oxygen as he did so. Mettaton, no longer caring whether he saw him or not, swam towards him with renewed vigour, caring only about getting this human back to safety. As he approached him, their eyes locked for a second, curious and awestruck, before he lost consciousness and his body went limp. Mettaton grabbed his arm and slung it over his shoulder, pulling him back up to the surface hurriedly, not letting the added weight of the human halt him on his way. He didn’t stop when he got back into the open air either, pulling him all the way back to the shore, ignoring the upturned boat as he went.

It seemed like hours had passed before he finally made it to the shore, exhaustion finally creeping up on him as he pulled the human onto the sodden sand. He allowed himself to catch his own breath for a second, breathing heavily on his back, next to the unmoving human. He watched as the clouds above him made way for the sun once again and the rain slowed, making him sigh with relief. As soon as he recovered he took a deep breath and brought his attention back to the unconscious human next to him. He hovered over him with uncertainty.

Why wasn’t he awake? He’d saved him, hadn’t he? Unless it was too late- maybe he’d taken too long...

There was only one way to find out; Mettaton lay his head gently upon his chest, listening closely for a sign of life. To his relief, he felt his chest rise and fall under his head and the slow soothing sound of a heart beat, proving that he’d done what he’d aimed to. He’d saved him.

Now he was content that he was alive, Mettaton looked back to his face. He really was handsome. He had soft skin, nice cheek bones, a strong jaw and beautiful full lips. If Mettaton had any sense of sanity at that moment, he’d have dived back into the water and left him as soon as he knew he was okay. But he didn’t want to. He was enraptured. Mesmerised.

Taking his hand, he caressed the side of the humans face, holding his breath as he did so, as though breathing would make time progress faster than he wanted it to. He traced the lines of his eyebrows, the ridge of his nose and around his jaw, all with a look of complete fascination. His fingers trailed along his lips delicately, feeling how smooth they were and wondering foolishly what his own lips would feel like upon them. 

Flooded with curiosity, he bent his head over his, laying his own lips upon the human’s, holding his jaw as he did so. It was brief but Mettaton felt that kiss flood his entire being, pure emotion crashing over him like the storms he’d just been acquainted with. When he felt the human’s lips move in reaction, he leant back in shock, greeted by dark brown eyes staring up at him in wonder. Mettaton briefly contemplated getting up and diving back into the water like he should have done a while ago, his heartbeat accelerating beyond normality as he stared into this mysterious man’s eyes. But he didn’t move, he just kept looking as if his limbs were frozen in place, no coherent thought processing in his mind. The man opened his mouth as if to say something but then closed it again, looking just as bewildered as Mettaton.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, staring, captivated, until a noise like heavy footsteps was heard in the trees a few yards from the beach. Mettaton broke his gaze, looking for the source of the noise, seeing another, stouter human approaching them at a steady pace.

Mettaton didn’t wait around until they saw him, he pushed himself up from his position, leaping back into the safety of the ocean as quickly as he could muster. He didn’t look back once. A stab of rationality making him finally realise what he was doing.

He’d been reckless.

Who knew what that other human would have done to him. Who knew what the human he’d kissed would have done, if he hadn’t been so fatigued. He swam back into the ocean’s protection, his heart rate not lowering in the slightest as he proceeded. He wasn’t thinking straight. Everything in his mind was focused on the events that had just taken place. He saw Napstablook and Shyren waiting for him, concern written deeply upon both of their faces. They fussed over him but he wasn’t listening. They asked him what he’d been doing. If the human had seen him. How he could have been so stupid. But Mettaton didn’t answer. He turned from them, closing his eyes, trying to sort out the fleeting thoughts that were currently creating havoc in his mind.

He’d saved a human. He wasn’t sorry about that, he _had_  to save them. He’d never have forgiven himself he had let them die.

He’d let a human see him, perhaps even another human if he hadn’t left so quickly. What harm would that really do? He thought back to Undyne’s lectures. ‘If a human sees you, just one, we’re all doomed. That human will tell other humans, and all of a sudden we’re being attacked because we’re a novelty to them. They’ll want to take us home and keep us in tanks to gawk and laugh at.’ Mettaton shuddered at the thought. Though, somehow he didn’t quite believe that human he’d seen today was capable of harming anyone. Well, anyone other than himself, judging by his terrible storm spotting skills.

And then, with great reluctance, he brought himself to the event that had him the most worried. He’d kissed a human. He’d kissed someone he didn’t know and had been taught his whole life to fear. But in that moment, it was as if there was nothing to fear in the world. He’d just saved someone’s life. A human’s life. It was exhilarating and exciting and the human was just as incredible and handsome as he’d always imagined. Mettaton knew he was acting irrationally but even he shocked himself when he realised something.

Now that he’d seen a human, now that he’d tasted the world outside, he wanted nothing more than to go back.

He had to see that human again, and he’d do whatever it took to make it happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hoped you enjoyed this! Both myself, UnparralleledAngel (the writer) and TheEverlastingRandom (the artist) have been working hard on this concept and I'm so happy I've finally been able to upload the first chapter! 
> 
> All comments and kudos are very much appreciated! Thank you for reading! <3


	2. A Big Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Underwater adventures with a human-loving Merman continues! 
> 
> This time, he is presented with a big decision that could potentially change his whole life, but does he have the guts to go through with it? Mettaton has never been known to back down from a challenge in the past...

Ever since the moment Mettaton laid his lips upon that washed-up human, it was all that filled his mind. He felt foolish and reckless, though he didn’t regret it in the slightest. The only thing he could think about was returning to be just as foolish and reckless once again.

It was just difficult when his friends were keeping such a close watch on him. They didn’t think anything about that experience was positive. Sure, it was exciting when they first saw the human. They couldn’t deny that. But when the storm hit and Mettaton risked his own safety for the life of a stranger, they only felt stricken with worry and wanted nothing more than to return to the protection of their home. 

Unlike Mettaton, they had no interest in the human world other than mild curiosity. They’d happily live their lives without concerning themselves with it if they could. But that wasn’t good enough for Mettaton. He craved more. He wanted, beyond anything else, to know what the outside world was like. To know all the secrets of that world that was just out of his grasp. How he’d achieve that, he didn’t know. But he wasn’t about to give up now that he’d been so close.

“Mettaton, come here, I want to hear about your week,” Undyne said, her voice commanding despite her warm intentions. “You’ve been out with your friends a lot recently, I’ve barely seen you.”

Mettaton, who was just about to escape their home to go searching for human treasure, sighed, turning to his mother with a quickly conjured smile.

Undyne took out a comb and gestured for Mettaton to sit by her. He did so, knowing she only ever combed his hair as an excuse to keep him in one place while she spoke to him.

“Where were you last night? I asked both Napstablook and Shyren and they both gave conflicting stories,” she questioned, pulling the comb through his stubbornly curled hair.

Mettaton rolled his eyes. Those two were never very good at lying for him. He thought back to last night, he’d been in his secret treasure stash, getting his friends to help him rearrange the collection for him. He liked to keep it all looking neat and organised, even if he was the only one who was going to enjoy it.

“Really? We were just practising our music- my singing is coming along quite well,” Mettaton lied, able to do so with ease. He’d been lying about his whereabouts for years now.

“So why did Shyren say you were collecting shells and Naptsablook say you were helping out with the sea snail farm?” Undyne asked, tucking the hairs that hung over Mettaton’s right eye behind his ear, only to have him shake it back into place again.

“Oh! Because... we did all three of those things, it was a busy night,” Mettaton nodded, exhaling loudly as though even the thought of doing all those activities was exhausting to him.

Undyne paused for a moment, her hands stopped as she thought. “Mettaton...”

“Yes?”

“Look, if you’ve met a guy and you don’t want to tell me about it because you think I’d embarrass you or something-”

Mettaton gasped, turning around to look at her. “No! No, that’s not it, nuh-uh, no guys,” he assured, shaking his head vigorously.

But this just looked like more proof to Undyne, smirking at his sputtering disputes. “Oh yeah? So what’s he like? Do I know him?” She widened her visible eye. “It isn’t that one merman from the reef, is it?” she asked, gauging his reaction, “You remember- the guy who called you cute?”

Mettaton shook his head even harder, “No, believe me, I’m not seeing anyone.”

Undyne eyed him for a moment, trying to work out whether he was telling the truth or not. She couldn’t quite tell. “Okay then, kid. I’ll take your word for it...”

“Thank you!” he said, sighing with relief, “Can I go now?”

“Depends on where you’re going,” she said, putting the comb down to her side.

“Mother, I am twenty-six years old, I don’t need to ask your permission every time I go out with my friends,” He quipped, slinging a bag over his shoulder.

“Fine, but just... be safe,” she said, knowing too well of her son’s recklessness.

“I will,” he said, and meant it. He’d at least  _ try  _ to be safe, that didn’t necessarily mean he always would be.

* * *

At least he knew he’d be particularly safe today, though he still had to keep what he was doing to himself. Undyne wouldn’t understand his love for discarded human items. She’d take them all off of him, telling him he was being delusional, and then he’d be back at square one, having to start his collection from the beginning.

Today, he was searching for new things. It was often a tedious job and usually he didn’t find anything at all, even after searching for hours. But he still looked whenever he could spare some time, being too curious not to. Who knew what had drifted into the ocean from the human world today? He couldn’t wait to find out.

After only a little while of searching in the usual places, Mettaton had already found an old rusty coin and a golden bracelet. He wasn’t entirely sure whether the gold was genuine, as certain parts were flaking off and showing a dull silver colour underneath, but he liked it none-the-less. It would go in his human jewellery collection nicely, right next to the pair of earrings he once discovered.

When he was just about ready to turn back for the day and drop off his findings with the rest, something else caught his eye. Was that... a book? Mettaton swam closer to get a better look, grabbing it and pulling it out of the sand, wiping it clean. It  _ was  _ a book! He gasped, putting it straight into his bag, deciding on reading it when he returned, hoping that the water hadn’t already made it unreadable.

The journey back to his collection went by smoothly. He often took a route that kept close to the seabed, in between shell-covered rocks that jutted out from the ocean floor. He didn’t want anyone to be curious about where he was going and end up following him there, revealing his long-kept secret hoard. But today there didn’t seem to be a lot of people around, and so he swam as quickly as he could in the open. 

His treasure trove was situated in a hidden cave, far behind masses of overgrown seaweed and tumbled rocks. It took a lot of persistent curiosity for Mettaton to find it in the first place, having to squeeze through small passageways and narrow gaps in the collapsed rocks. Once he found it, he knew all of his efforts had paid off, perceiving this as a place where he could finally get away from the prying eyes of others. A place where he could carry on building upon his human collection in peace.

And that’s just what he did, slowly filling the place with things the things he’d accumulated over the years. Placing everything neatly to show it all off, taking pride in his own collection. Well,  _ someone _ had to enjoy it.

He finally got there, placing the bracelet and coin in their new spots. Now, for what he’d been waiting for- that book. He took it out of the bag hooked over his shoulder and looked at the cover.

“‘The Myths and Legends of Mermaids’, huh?” Mettaton read, his eyes passing over the words a couple of times before he gasped. 

He’d seen this book before! And he hadn't just seen it anywhere, either- the last time he’d seen it, it had been in the hands of the human. Mettaton hadn’t caught sight of the title when he first saw it, but now he recognised it clearly, the image of the human reading was vivid in his mind. He must have lost it when his boat toppled over, causing it to be lost in the merfolk’s kingdom forever.

_ So, he was reading about mermaids? That makes two of us in love with the wrong world,  _ Mettaton thought, sighing. He opened the book with deliberate caution, trying his hardest to salvage whatever he could from it. However, when he tried to turn the page, parts of the paper came off in his hand and turned to mush.

“Why can’t they make these things more durable?” Mettaton questioned, the frustration pushing its way out through his voice. He was about to close the book again and put it on a shelf with the rest until a leather-bound bookmark fell out. “Oh?”

He picked it up and put the book to the side, turning the bookmark over to read the writing engraved on it.

He read it aloud, “This belongs to The Great Papyrus.” He froze, covering his mouth with his hand. “Papyrus...” he whispered again through his fingers, utterly taken aback by this revelation.

He’d found out the human’s name.

* * *

Far away from where Mettaton was hidden, upon the surface, in the human world, Papyrus himself was stood in his bathroom, hiding from his own problems.

“Okay, Papyrus! You have to go down there and carry out your duties. Your terribly dull, boring and quite frankly, tedious duties...” he said to his own reflection in the mirror, “You must go down there and be a prince! Show people you are strong and courageous! To look like a respectable person for your kingdom to look up to!” He frowned. “But I already am respected! I’ve been respectable and gentlemanly my whole life! I’m not going to suddenly stop! Why do I have to keep hearing about it daily?! ‘Read these books about your lineage, Papyrus’, ‘Go and ride your horse, Papyrus’, ‘ _ find a nice girl to court, Papyrus _ ’,” he said, his voice full of irritation, “Why do I have to date a girl to be a respectable prince?! I’d much rather read a book.”

“Pap, do you often talk to yourself in the bathroom?” His brother’s voice sounded from outside the door.

Papyrus shrieked when he heard him, turning around and looking at the door accusingly, “Sans! How long have you been standing out there?”

“Long enough.”

“Ugh,” Papyrus groaned, opening the door to see him, “Well, now that you’re here, I may as well ask... Is there any way you could help me escape my duties for today?”

Sans, who had his hands stuffed in his pockets, shrugged. “It’s not really up to me, Pap.”

“But you’re the king!” Papyrus said, exasperated, “Just order me to have a day off!”

“First of all, you know for a fact that it isn’t me that makes you do this stuff- it’s everyone else. I’d happily let you run around doing whatever it is you wanna do forever if I could, but people wouldn’t be happy.”

Papyrus sighed dramatically, “Fine! I’ll carry out my duties for today. But I’m going to do them twice as quick so I can do more important things afterwards!”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“Like going back to the beach to look for that man!”

Sans looked at him a little dubiously, “I told you- when I found you, you were alone. You probably hit your head or something- I mean, you  _ were  _ unconscious.”

“I’m telling you! I saw a man on the beach and he had nice eyes and soft lips and- I’m pretty sure he saved my life!” Papyrus enthused, trying his hardest to get his brother to listen to him.

Sans just shook his head and laughed until he heard his brother’s sentence again in his head again. Then he furrowed his brow. “Say, how’d you know his lips are soft?”

Papyrus slapped a hand over his mouth. “Oh! Because, well...” His voice trailed off into quietness, so Sans could barely hear him. “He kissed me.”

Without even looking at his brother, he could still feel his eyes burning a hole into the side of his head.

“He kissed you?”

“...Yes.”

“This handsome mysterious saviour?”

“I understand that this tale becomes less believable the more you hear about it,” Papyrus admitted, “But it happened! I wouldn’t make something like that up- it was so vivid!”

Sans shrugged. “Alright, don’t worry about it, I believe ya.”

“You do?”

“Sure. If you say something happened- it happened! I’m not gonna stand around and tell you you’re wrong,” he said, leaning on the wall. “Tell you what- you head on down to the beach or wherever it is you wanna go today and I’ll tell people I’ve sent you on a...” He squinted, trying to find the right words. “A royal errand?”

Papyrus’ eyes lit up. “You’d do that for me?”

“Sure, you just gotta promise me you’ll do everything you’re supposed to tomorrow, alright?”

“Of course! What do you take me for? Some sort of lazy person?” He gave his brother a sly glance, “I’m not a king!”

“Hey- I just gave you the day off and you’re gonna throw such harsh truths at me like that? That’s cold.” Sans said, pretending to be deeply offended.

Papyrus chuckled, “You’re right! I deeply apologise, brother! Will you ever forgive me?”

“Eh, I’ll think about it.”

* * *

Napstablook and Shyren had been looking for Mettaton for a couple of hours now. It was usual for him to go missing, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for them to have to look for him. But once they’d checked in all the usual spots, they assumed he must be in his favourite place. His treasure trove. They gave each other a look of reluctance before they set off. Neither of them particularly liked that place, but they knew it made Mettaton happy, so they supported him. It didn’t stop it from giving them the creeps, though.

“Mettaton? Are you down here?” Napstablook called into the treasure hoard.

After a few seconds, Mettaton called back, “Yeah, I’m here,” and so they followed the sound of his voice, finding him sat between the porcelain plates and the shining silverware. He was polishing them dutifully, making sure none of them lost their gleam.

He looked up briefly as they entered, quickly returning his gaze to the spoon he was smoothing with a cloth, “Look at this,” he said, holding it up to the light that came in through a crack at the top of the cavern, “I’ve had this for years- and it’s still just as shiny as when I found it, if not more.”

Shyren looked at it, trying her hardest to look impressed, “What do you think humans use it for?” she asked, looking over the rest of his collection, most of them looked like tiny weapons if you asked her, especially the fork- it just looked like a toy-sized trident. She wondered grimly if they were used for anything heinous.

But Mettaton’s mind didn’t work like that. “I think they use them for eating.”

Napstablook wasn’t convinced. “...Eating?”

“Mm-hmm,” Mettaton nodded, “See, their food isn’t like ours, and they need things like this to scoop it up and take it to their mouth.” He did a scooping motion with his spoon. “They don’t just pick up seaweed and kelp with their hands like us- they’re refined. Classy!”

“They can’t be  _ that _ classy,” Shyren countered, “Not more than you anyway, Mettaton, you’re the prince! You don’t get more classy than that.”

Mettaton shrugged. “Their world always seems so much more interesting. More things to do, more things to see. What do you think the princes above the sea do? I can’t even begin to imagine all the things they get up to. But all we ever do is sit around just  _ waiting  _ in fear, worrying that a human will come down one day and end us all. We’re barely even living.”

“We do plenty of things,” Napstablook murmured, “We have our music... and the sea snails... and each other.”

Mettaton didn’t look up at them, concentrating wholly on the spoon, shining it where it didn’t need it, “I know that. And I love you two, I do.” He finally put the spoon to the side, letting it rest. “But I can’t settle until I know what else is out there- aren’t you even slightly curious?”

Shyren shook her head and Napstablook shrugged.

Mettaton’s shoulders fell. “Well... I have a plan, actually,” he said, playing with his nails to give himself something to look at other than his friends. “I’m going to go see the seawitch.”

“What?!” Shyren gasped.

“Mettaton... why?” Napstablook asked, already knowing the answer.

He took a deep breath, knowing that neither of them would like this idea. “I want to know if there’s anything she can do- any spell that can give me answers... Or maybe she knows about the human world herself! She’s supposed to be wise, isn’t she? I just want to know  _ more. _ ”

“So it’s not to... leave us? To live in the human world?” Napstablook asked. Shyren stayed silent, looking at Mettaton with begging eyes.

But their worried looks went to waste as Mettaton wasn’t even looking at them. “No, I wouldn’t leave you two,” he sighed, “I just want to know what she knows. Maybe she can help put my mind at ease.”

Shyren sat by him then, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’d be careful if I were you, I’ve heard she can be quite strange. And people barely ever see her leave her lair- no one knows what she actually does in there.”

Napstablook sat on the other side of Mettaton. “We can go with you if you want... If she really is dangerous, I don’t want you to get hurt,” they said, “We care about you, Mettaton...”

The prince nodded. “I know you do,” he whispered, taking Napstablook’s hand and squeezing it, “I’ll be careful I promise. You don’t have to come with me. I know you don’t care for human stuff- the whole thing would probably be incredibly boring for you.”

“That’s fine, we can still-” Shyren began before Mettaton cut her off.

“Someone has to stay around my mother and tell her I’ve gone searching for shells or something,” he chuckled, “And please, please,  _ please _ tell her the same story this time.”

The two of them froze in place.

“Ah... sorry, Mettaton,” Napstablook apologised.

“I’m not very good at lying,” Shyren admitted, “But, okay, I promise we’ll come up with a better and  _ same _ story next time.”

“Marvellous, you’ll be a first-class liar in no time, sweetheart.”

Shyren frowned. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing...”

* * *

The seawitch’s lair was comprised of an underwater cavern that was hidden away amongst many shallow crevices in the rocks, only one of which lead to the cavern itself. It didn’t take long for Mettaton find the way in, having spent a lot of time in his life searching meticulously across the ocean looking for secret hidden areas, this being no different. He slipped into the crack in the wall of rocks, seeing a light glowing dimly from within.

“Hello?” Mettaton called, hoping to hear a friendly voice invite him in, “Is anyone here?”

He swam further inside, bracing himself for whatever was there to greet him. He’d heard countless tales of the seawitch; that she could turn people into a pebble with one glance or change her shape to fit in with everyone else, just waiting to strike. Just like Mettaton’s opinion of humans, he didn’t fully believe these vicious rumours. If nobody had seen her in years, then how could they know? Regardless, he held his breath whilst he moved closer to the source of that light, hoping he was right about her.

The crevice lead to a short tunnel that Mettaton pushed through, finally coming out into an open space which was lit warmly by a glowing orb that floated in the middle. He was surrounded by shelves upon shelves full of potions, books and odd looking ingredients. There were twisted roots, exotic plants and... were those jars of eyes?

“Wh-who’s there?” A voice asked, coming from behind him, “How did you find this place?”

Mettaton turned quickly, preparing himself for whoever had found him. “I don’t mean any harm. I’m here for some help.”

He took in her appearance slowly. He didn’t expect her to look like that at all. She looked timid and nervous, clasping her hands together to stop them from shaking. In fact, her whole look was rather unthreatening, with short blonde hair and a small plump body that trailed off in tentacles.

Her eyes widened when she saw him closer. “You’re the prince!”

“I am... how do you know that? People say they haven’t seen you leave this place in years,” he asked, looking around with interest now that he felt she was harmless.

She looked like she was conflicted between asking him to leave and telling him her life story. She stuttered something inaudible before she pointed at a crystal that stood on a pedestal in the centre of the room.

“I-I don’t talk to people very often but I can see what’s happening outside using this.” She gestured for him to come closer. “It shows anyone you ask it to show.”

“Huh,” he said, swimming closer with curiosity, “Show me... my mother,” he commanded, and the crystal immediately reacted, glowing a bright red. They waited for a short couple of seconds before swirls of light emitted from the crystal, twisting into an image of his mother that shone before his eyes. “Wow,” he muttered under his breath, seeing her interrogating his friends, asking them where her son was. He hoped they came up with a good excuse this time, though, he wasn’t exactly paying attention to what was being said, being too captivated by the crystal’s power.

He’d never seen magic like this before and he wondered futilely why he’d never been informed things like this existed. It was incredible. And to think of all the amazing benefits this sort of thing could offer the kingdom! Surely his mother should know about this, right?

“Wh-why is it you came here?” The seawitch asked, “You said you wanted some help?”

Mettaton snapped out of his trance with the crystal, drawing his eyes away.

“Yes,” he said, remembering why he was here in the first place as the crystal’s light dimmed again, “But first, can I ask your name? I feel rude calling you ‘the seawitch’, darling.”

She lightened up at this. “Y-you want to know my name?”

“Yes, that  _ is  _ why I asked,” he said, trying his hardest to keep the sarcasm from his voice.

“R-right! My name’s Alphys,” she told him, clasping her hands together again. “S-sorry if I seem awkward. I don’t usually get visitors...”

“I can tell,” he said, smirking, “Well, Alphys, I’ve come to you because you’re the only person I can think to turn to.”

She watched him speak with growing curiosity, before she gasped, “Oh! Is this about humans?”

Mettaton stopped speaking, looking at her with suspicion. “Yes... How did you know?”

“D-don’t think of me as creepy for this but I-I was watching you the other day, when you were up on the surface...” she admitted, “I don’t pry on people that much! I just couldn’t help myself when I saw what you w-were doing.”

Mettaton hummed with displeasure. “That  _ is  _ a little creepy, darling, but I’ll let it slip by this time...” he said, before an idea formed in his head. “Actually, can you see humans with this thing?” he asked, pointing at the crystal.

Alphys grinned knowingly. “You want to see that human again.”

He nodded gently, slightly embarrassed that this woman he’d never met knew him so well. He turned to the crystal, taking a deep breath, “Show me Papyrus.”

Without hesitation, the crystal began to glow once again, this time showing the beach he’d been to not that long ago. The human was there again, looking out into the water with a hand shielding his eyes from the blaring sun. Mettaton felt like the ability to speak had been knocked out of him as he saw him again. All of a sudden he was brought back to that moment where he’d saved him, where he’d felt his skin under his fingers... and on his lips.

“He’s beautiful,” Mettaton breathed, holding his hand up to the image, wanting to reach out and touch him.

Alphys looked at the image too, agreeing whole-heartedly. “You’re in love with him! Th-that’s really cute.”

Mettaton scoffed, “Oh, I don’t know about that-”

“But you kissed! It was so romantic!” she enthused, “You two belong together.”

Mettaton just shook his head. “I think you’re getting ahead of yourself. I don’t even know him.”

“I can t-tell how much you like him just by looking at you,” she informed him, “Most people don’t just kiss people if they don’t feel a connection.”

Mettaton sighed, “I suppose I did feel something...” he admitted as he looked away from the image, letting it fade away, “But there’s nothing I can do about it. He’s a human. We live in different worlds. And that’s exactly why I came to you, Alphys, I wanted to know  _ more  _ about the human world. I wanted to know what you know.”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together, “I know a lot about humans! I’ve been researching them for years now. Th-they’re quite interesting creatures. Like, d-did you know that humans have something called a bath that they sit in to clean themselves- it’s filled with w-warm water and they also use it as a way to relax, I think.”

Mettaton smiled, he’d never heard anyone sound so enthusiastic about humans before. He wanted nothing more than to hear more facts about them. And he was told many. It seemed that once Alphys began talking about humans, there was no stopping her. Mettaton didn’t mind, however, he could have listened to her talk about them all day.

At long last, she stopped talking, suddenly realising how long she’d been rambling. “S-sorry for talking so much, I just love humans so much.”

“Don’t apologise, darling, I love them too,” he said, giving her a soft smile, “I just wish there was a way I could see them again properly. To be able to walk in their world like they do, if only for one day.”

“W-well... I actually have a spell that could do that,” she whispered, as though saying this too loud would get her into trouble.

Mettaton could feel his heart racing already as he looked at her, trying to see if she was kidding. “A spell?”

She nodded, “I would cast it on myself b-but it only works on merfolk who have tails like yourself.” She looked down at her tentacles. “I’ve a-actually been dying to try it out for years now but I thought I’d never find anyone willing.”

Mettaton held his breath, “And... what does this spell do exactly?”

“It turns your tail into a p-pair of l-legs,” she stuttered, running a hand through her short hair nervously, “But b-because I’ve never tried it out before, I’m not certain if it will work.”

“You could make me human?” he spoke quietly, almost having to force the words to leave his body.

She nodded again, “If y-you wanted me to, of course,” she explained, “I would have to a-apologise in advance if a-anything goes wrong, though,”

Mettaton was barely listening, he didn’t care if anything went wrong. The chance that he could have legs and walk on the land like a human was enough for him to agree. He  _ had  _ to try, or else he’d never know what it was like. Maybe he could go and speak to that human again, maybe he could try their food and dance on their legs and live that life he’d always been so very intrigued by. So maybe the spell could go wrong, or Alphys might not be as sweet as she seems, tricking him into to some terrible plot to take over the ocean... But how could he know? The mere thought of being able to stand on two legs was so deliciously tempting.

But what about his friends? His mother? If he lived in the human world he may never see them again. And even if he found a way to go back to them eventually... would they even want to see him? He’d be betraying everyone he held dear.

Mettaton sighed. “I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head, looking at the crystal again longingly and remembering the human’s soft features. He shook the thought away. “I can’t leave my family behind.”

Alphys looked crestfallen. “Oh, okay. I w-was just under the impression that you were miserable down here.”

He looked at her searchingly. “You can tell?”

She nodded solemnly. “I-I hope I’m not crossing a-any boundaries saying this but- it’s written a-all over your face. The only time I’ve seen you happy is when you t-talk about humans.”

Mettaton didn’t know what to say but before he could try, the glowing orb that lit the room dimmed suddenly and Alphys went to brighten it again with her magic. As she did so, Mettaton turned back to the crystal, giving in to temptation and asking it to show him Papyrus again. As he looked at the human’s smile, reading yet another book upon the beach, he smiled too, hoping he wasn’t missing the one that was currently in his treasure trove. Then another human approached. He looked similar to Papyrus, probably related to him, and he sat by his side, asking how his day was going.

“I have seen no sign of attractive sea-saviours so far- but maybe this is his day off,” Papyrus informed the other as Mettaton felt his heart stop.

The other chuckled gently. “You say that every time you come down here, perhaps he’s not coming back?”

Papyrus looked like he’d just heard something completely preposterous. “He’ll come back eventually! That’s why I come here so often, so I don’t miss him.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“He just has to!” Papyrus looked out towards the sea, breathing a deep sigh. “And how will I know if I don’t keep looking?”

The cogs in Mettaton’s brain began turning as he heard this. He just couldn’t believe it. Not only did he long to see the human again, the human wanted to see him too. In fact, he came back to the same spot ‘often’ just in case he encountered him again.

_ He wanted to see him again,  _ Mettaton thought, holding a hand to his forehead, as though it would stop his brain from spinning. The mere idea that this human longed for him made his head reel.

Now he knew what he had to do. He just  _ had  _ to.

“I’ll do it,” Mettaton sputtered without thinking.

Alphys wasn’t quite listening, busying herself with some ingredients she had on her desk.

“I’ll do it!” he said, louder this time.

She looked up at him with widened eyes, convinced her ears were deceiving her. “Wha- really? Y-you want to be a human?”

He closed his eyes, trying his hardest to think this through sensibly. Though ‘thinking sensibly’ had never been Mettaton’s strongest skill, and so he just nodded, answering Alphys’ question.

“Th-that’s incredible! O-of course I won’t be able to do it straight away. I’ll have to gather the correct ingredients and the spell itself w-will take a-a little practice. But I’m certain I can get this to w-work!”

“How long do you think it will take?” Mettaton asked, not wanting to wait any longer now that escape was within his grasp.

She shrugged. “A-around a week? Maybe s-sooner if you help with the ingredients.”

“Okay,” he breathed, running his hand through his hair, “Let’s do this.”

* * *

This was one of the most complex spells Alphys had ever put together. Changing one object into another was one matter, but when you brought an actual living person into the mix, things got messy. One-hundred percent caution had to be carried out, or else who knew what could happen? The more Alphys thought about it, the more worried she got. What if something terrible happened? Not only could Mettaton be hurt but she’d have the Queen around, asking why she decided to injure her son.

Surprisingly, Mettaton was rather calm about the whole thing. He collected each ingredient she asked for and in record time too. He knew every tiny crack and corner of the ocean, and knew exactly where to look for each thing, bringing it back to her before she’d even sat back down.

Mettaton’s apparent composure was all a well-controlled facade. He forced himself to believe he only had one option in order to make it easier for himself. His friends were growing concerned, wondering why he was talking to them less, why he seemed so distant, why he could never look them in the eye. He’d got it into his head that everything would go smoother if he just wrote them a note before he left. 

They’d understand, right? They knew how much this meant to him, surely they’d be overjoyed that he finally found a way to live his dreams! That’s what Mettaton said to calm himself, anyway.

He just couldn’t tell them to their face. He knew that Napstablook’s sad eyes and Shyren’s disapproving look would be enough to convince him to stay. And he couldn’t have that. He had to leave and the less guilt he felt, the better.

His mother was more difficult, however. He would never be able to tell her what he was doing. Not even through a note. He knew that she’d do everything in her power to go up to the human world and drag him back home. He hated to do this but he’d have to just disappear. It hurt him to think of her fretting over his whereabouts but he didn’t know what else he could do. Hopefully Napstablook and Shyren would be able to keep quiet long enough for him to slip away into the big wide world, nowhere to be found.

All in all, he didn’t like to think about his mother too much, erasing all thoughts of her from his mind. The less he thought about how he was hurting people and the more he focused on the future, the easier it became.

It took only four days for all the ingredients to be collected, and in that time Alphys and Mettaton grew much closer. It felt like she was the only person in the world he could speak truthfully to in that moment. The only person who he wasn’t betraying by doing this, and yet he was still leaving her behind at the end of it all.

When she told him she was ready to cast the spell, he nodded, requesting he be allowed to take a moment alone.

When this was granted this, he swam back out of her cavern, returning to his own, breathing erratically as he realised what he was doing. He took a piece of thick paper from his bag, and placed it down in the middle of the room for his friends to find, having already written it days in advance. Before he left, he took another look around his treasure trove, trying his hardest not to let emotions get the better of him. He’d spent so much time here, loving each piece of discarded waste like it was precious. He shook his head, telling himself he had no reason to be sad. He was about to live his dreams! 

He took a deep breath, taking one last look at his surroundings, and returned to Alphys, not looking back once.

* * *

“Have you seen Mettaton?” Shyren asked, looking at Napstablook with a worriedly, “I thought he’d be with his mother today but she said she hasn’t seen him either. Apparently he left his home early this morning.”

Napstablook shrugged. “Maybe he’s in his cavern... like he normally is...”

“I hope so,” she said, frowning. “I’m going to go check it out. Coming with?”

They nodded, following her as she swam away. She was going faster than usual, her mind telling her that something was wrong. Mettaton had been around less and less recently, and now he wasn’t here at all. She couldn’t help but feel that the worst had happened.

When they reached the cavern, they looked around quickly, disappointment hitting them in their guts when they noticed he wasn’t there. But it wasn’t quite like the disappointment they felt when they saw that note on the floor, waiting insidiously to be read.

“Is that... a note?” Napstablook questioned, not daring look at it any closer.

Shyren narrowed her eyes, trying to tell herself that it was something innocent. Probably just a silly poem he had written or a play he’d put together.

Taking a deep breath, she took the paper in her hands, clearing her throat to read it aloud. “Dearest Blooky and Shyren,” she began, closing her eyes in a sudden anguish, not wanting to know the rest.

Napstablook swam to the side of her, their eyes scanning over the paper hurriedly.

“Oh...” They said as they read it, not knowing what else to say.

The note wasn’t long, only a few lines, but it told them the exact words they’d been dreading.

It read:

“Dearest Blooky and Shyren,

I’ve been given the most incredible opportunity to go live my dreams upon the surface with the humans. The seawitch has the ability to give me legs, and it was something that was all too tempting to refuse. I know what you think of humans and I know very well what you’ll think of me for becoming one, but believe me when I say this is the best thing I’ve ever been given. In this new body... I can finally feel like myself. I can finally be happy. And I hope that, in time, you’ll learn to be happy for me.

I’m so sorry for leaving you like this, without even a single goodbye, but it’s better this way. I promise.

Love you always, darlings,

~Mettaton.”

Shyren pulled Napstablook into a tight hug, tears welling in her eyes.

For all of their sakes, Mettaton better be happy with his choice in the long run, or else he’d have hurt everyone without reason.

All they could hope for now was that Mettaton lived the life he’d always so desperately sought after. They couldn’t hate him for this, not really. They loved him too dearly.

_ And they always would. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'd like to point out that the author of this fic is UnparralleledAngel (tumblr: mtt-metal-crusher) and the artist is TheEverlastingRandom (art tumblr: everlasting-random-art) just so that everyone gets the right credit! 
> 
> These chapters take a while to create because of the time it takes to write it all and then go ahead and illustrate everything... and this was a pretty long chapter, too! But I certainly hope it was worth it. 
> 
> Next time, we'll be moving on to more... papyton-themed shenanigans! One boy is getting his legs so things are gonna go down. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this! Don't be afraid to leave a comment or kudos because we love reading what you guys have to say. ^^


	3. A New Development

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan for Mettaton's transition into human life has finally come to a head. Mettaton has made his decision, and backing out is no longer an option.
> 
> There's only one thing to do; keep walking forwards.

“So... this is it, then? It’s all ready?” Mettaton’s expression was unreadable but his hesitancy was evident in his voice.

“I-I believe so, yes. I complete this spell, give it to you and you’ll... have legs!” 

Mettaton tried to ignore her unsure tone. He wouldn’t turn back now. He was resolute.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded.

Alphys was poring over a large bowl that she’d positioned atop a pedestal. It was bubbling with a dark, shimmering silver liquid that threatened to spill over the sides with each violent spluttering pop of a bubble. The liquid was heavy and thick like tar, pulling each pulsating globule back down to the bottom of the bowl despite their underwater surroundings.

Alphys added ingredients every now and then, from commonplace kelp to rare jewels that she mixed in diligently with a ladle. They disintegrated quickly into the liquid like they were nothing.

“Why isn’t the ladle melting like the rest?” Mettaton asked with curiosity. He was watching her every action with great intrigue.

Alphys looked up at him, startled, as though she’d completely forgotten he was there. “Oh, erm, it’s enchanted so it doesn’t get affected by potions...”

“I see,” Mettaton said, then his eyes darted back up to her with a terse look of horror. “Wait- potion? You mean I have to drink this?”

“Th-that’s the plan, yes!”

“It melts everything that goes into it.”

“Yes, but hopefully by the time I’ve finished, i-it will be completely safe.”

“Hopefully?”

Alphys’ cheeks reddened. “Perhaps it’s better if I just don’t s-speak at all,” she sputtered, mixing something else hastily into the potion.

Mettaton nodded and rolled his eyes. “Just get it finished.”

Taking that as a hint that his royal highness was getting impatient, Alphys complied, keeping her mouth shut as she did so. After a few more questionable-looking ingredients were added and Alphys whispered some hushed incantations in an old language Mettaton couldn’t translate, the potion changed and Alphys deemed it finished.

It was a deep blue now. There was a feeling of life about it in the way it swirled and moved around, like something inside was bubbling with excitement, just waiting to pounce. Mettaton could feel that excitement himself as he looked upon it. This bowl contained Mettaton’s future, everything he’d ever wished for.

“Ready?”

“I’ve been ready for years, darling.”

Alphys took a deep breath and picked a small bottle up from a nearby shelf, dunked it daringly into the sinister potion and filled it to the top. She quickly plugged the top with a cork and, with shaking hands, gave it over to Mettaton.

“You have to swim up to the surface, pr-preferably somewhere close to the land so you don’t have far to swim. It will be more difficult to do so without your tail, so d-don’t risk it.”

“Alright,” Mettaton said. This really was it. He had the ability to change his life completely literally within his grasp. It was finally time to put his life right.

Without another word, not even a passing goodbye, Mettaton swam out of the cavern and into the open water, leaving Alphys alone with her worrisome thoughts.

He swam like his life depended on it, not wanting to be spotted heading to the surface now. The water rippled around him as he cut through it with a steely look of determination plastered across his face. The world around him grew brighter as his distance to the sunlit surface got closer. The sun was his goal, it always had been. Mettaton always aimed for the best and didn’t settle for anything else.

Along with his hopes and spirits, he could feel everything in his vicinity grow brighter with a warm glow. In his own self-assured mind, he’d managed to convince himself that the sky had arranged itself accordingly for him, clearing out the clouds with a unwanted shove and turning the world’s brightest spotlight on to greet his arrival to his new life.

At long last, he broke free of the water’s seemingly never-ending barriers and gasped the cool air of the surface. From here he could see the rough terrain of sandy earth, only a few lengths to the south. Purposefully, as to make his trip there as short as possible in human form, he swam as close as he could without leaving the confines of the water completely. A merman out of water was an ungraceful thing, flopping and dragging their useless body instead of gliding from step to step like humans did so effortlessly.

No, Mettaton wouldn’t bring himself to that if he didn’t have to. He stayed where the water was just deep enough to just brush his tail fins against the sand below, with his head above the water. With a deep breath, and not a second thought to the huge decision he was making, he uncorked the bottle that was tight within his grasp and downed it in one.

It didn’t have a taste, or rather, it tasted like something that he wasn’t sure could count as a taste. It attuned itself more to his sense of touch, filling him a lightness that seemed to pierce through his core and made his skin sting. It wasn’t painful, nor was it pleasant; it was merely nauseating in its novelty. If he could explain the sensation in its simplest forms, he’d only be able to muster the word ‘yellow’. Large and vibrant, demanding power over him like the sun did over the world, yet it was comforting too, compelling the feeling that its dominance was for his own good. The feeling rocketed to his tail and he threw his head back and yelped with the suddenness of it. Before he could put his thoughts towards what it was he was experiencing, his tail was being cleaved in two down the middle and reformed again on both sides to a pair of what certainly felt like legs.

Not that Mettaton had any sort of idea what having legs felt like, but if he had any guesses, this would be it.

It took a few long, stretched out seconds but the head-spinning feeling was finally lifting and he could tell the brunt of the potion had already taken effect. It was over, he was changed. All he had to do now was make his way to the land to see his new body in all its glory.

Without looking down, he stretched one leg and skimmed the sand with his feet.

 _It feels similar to hands._ This was his first realisation. The way his toes dug into the sand was like a dulled version of the feeling he got when his fingers brushed through the same element. This should have been obvious, he reminded himself. Legs always did look similar to arms in a way. Though, the shock of actually feeling them for himself was one he couldn’t resist making note of.

He took another step, and now the ground was sloping higher, making his exit from the water a more difficult feat than he’d previously anticipated. His legs weren’t the well-used limbs of a farmer or sailor, bearing muscles from years of training. His legs were new and, all though they weren’t exactly weak, he was greatly inexperienced with them.

He stepped again, and then again, until the water level lowered and droplets fell from him and back to the ocean below where they came from. He was glistening in the sunlight; he could tell by the way his arms shone and sparkled when he looked upon them.

Walking further forward, he soon found difficulty with getting his legs to work the way he wanted them to. Without the water’s help at keeping him upright, he found that balancing was much harder than he thought. He made three quick steps until only his ankles were under the water, and then his legs gave way underneath him and he fell to his knees.

He cursed mentally and grunted at his own inability. This part had always seemed easier in his daydreams. Giving himself a slight break, he rolled over onto his newly-formed backside and looked out across the ocean. It was endless, and, interestingly enough, showed absolutely no sign of the life he’d previously lived. He counted this as a blessing, if he couldn’t see his old life, he couldn’t be haunted by it.

Slowly, even reluctantly, he moved his gaze down to his legs. They were long, longer than most humans’ he’d seen. He liked that. He made a tall human! He could see himself looking rather dashing in all sorts of human clothes already.

He studied his legs carefully, stretching them out with intrigue as his enraptured gaze drew higher before something else completely caught his eye. He blushed and looked up, tearing his eyes away as though it was lewd of him to look for too long. He’d forgotten humans had those.

As though struck with a sudden desire to do anything but draw his attention back _there_ , he resolved to try and walk again. If he wanted to make any sort of impact on the human world, he’d have to master the simplest tasks such as walking first.

He drew himself back up onto his knees, and then onto his wobbling feet. Putting his arms out to the side of him, he kept himself balanced through sheer determination alone. He made to put a foot forward before a noise was heard in the distance, stopping him altogether.

Someone was approaching, and fast.

Before Mettaton could do anything, the figure appeared through the trees at the top of the rocky section of the beach and made its way towards him, stopping short when their eyes met. _Oh God, it's-_

“It’s...you!” Papyrus exclaimed, his jaw hung agape.

Mettaton’s breathing hitched and he opened his mouth to speak, to tell Papyrus of all the feelings that had been on his mind since their last unorthodox meeting, but no words followed.

When Mettaton stayed silent, Papyrus’ eyes turned soft and glanced at his body with nothing but curiosity mixed with concern.

“You must be freezing!” he pointed out, going to remove his coat. “Walking around all bare like that... and you’re soaking! Have you been swimming?”

Mettaton tried to answer but it was like the air in his lungs got caught in his throat with each word he attempted to articulate. Frustrated, he just nodded. It wasn’t like he could explain the whole story to Papyrus without being able to speak.

Papyrus draped his coat around Mettaton and buttoned it up at the front. It was warm and dry, two things Mettaton certainly wasn’t used to feeling. It was soothing, knowing that this new sensation was brought to him by the kind charity of the man who’d so often occupied his thoughts recently. He revelled in the feeling, and, without thinking, he attempted a step forward towards him, lost his footing and fell straight into his arms.

“Whoa there!” Papyrus said as he caught him, cradling him to his chest. Mettaton looked up at him with a mixture of humiliation twisted reluctantly with fascination. He was making such a fool of himself, falling so clumsily into this man’s arms and yet, he couldn’t help but feel so very endeared towards him. He was _human_ , here, in front of him. _Holding_ him. Mettaton couldn’t quite believe his luck.

He snapped himself out of it, determining to pull away again and make attempt at this walking business once more. But before he could, he felt Papyrus’ hands around him, heaving him up into a bridal style hold.

“You don’t seem well, friend! Falling over like this- on the beach all cold and wet and _nude_ -” Papyrus seemed to choke that word out “-The kindest thing for me to do is to carry you someplace warm and give you some spare clothes until you feel better. Is that okay?!"

Mettaton felt like refusing. He didn’t need to be looked after. He was going to take this world by storm just by himself- but Papyrus’ offer was so tempting. He was so kind and welcoming, just wanting to help. How could he refuse such an act of pure humanity?

He nodded and Papyrus smiled.

“Let’s go, then!”

* * *

 

Mettaton felt a little silly, being carried to safety by this human, but he pushed the feeling aside and decided to just enjoy the feeling. Papyrus seemed lovely. There was a certain charm to his kindness that inspired curiosity in the former-merman; he just wanted to learn everything about him, talk to him for hours and hours and uncover everything about him. 

It was just a shame that he still couldn’t speak.

At first he assumed it was just a temporary side-effect of the change, but the longer he went without his voice, the more he worried. Had something gone wrong? Alphys never ruled out the possibility of mistakes, and Mettaton had taken the potion knowing this; he was just disappointed to have his voice, of all things, be sacrificed for the cause.

Mettaton quite liked the sound of his own voice.

He shrugged the problem away for a while. No need worrying about that when he was currently in the arms of a very handsome (and impressively strong) human. Papyrus was babbling on about this and that as he carried him and Mettaton was starting to get the impression that he very much liked the sound of his own voice also.

Papyrus stopped mid-rant about his brother to look suddenly at Mettaton, eyes wide. “You don’t talk a lot, do you?”

Mettaton opened his mouth to reply, as though it would actually work this time. When it didn’t, he frowned and closed his mouth again, shaking his head.

“No problem!” Papyrus said, beaming, “Talking happens to be one of my favourite hobbies- if you can actually call it a hobby- which I do! I can talk enough for the both of us.”

Mettaton sighed, resting his head on Papyrus’ chest. They were away from the beach now, trudging heedlessly through bramble-strewn paths that wound through the centre of a small forest. The sun was less dazzling here, the trees helping shelter Mettaton’s sensitive eyes from its mighty rays. He could see Papyrus all the clearer now, the way his jaw was shaped, how his hair curled delicately upon his gorgeous head, the way his eyes were so soft and deep seeming, as though Mettaton could see directly into his soul through them.

These particular eyes glanced at him and then zoomed away again. “I appreciate you taking the time to admire my face but it’s rather distracting!” he said, staring straight ahead.

Mettaton bit his lip, considering ignoring Papyrus’ worries but decided against it. He’d have to be a little less full-on and a little more tactful if he was going to make a good impression on this human. If that meant being sneakier with his adoring glances, so be it.

“So...” Papyrus said after a moment of silence, “You’re that man who saved my life on the beach a while ago, correct?”

Mettaton nodded.

“Great! I was worried for a moment that I’d dreamt the whole thing and was mistaking you for someone else entirely-- which would be embarrassing, to say the least.” He let out a deep breath. “Thank you, for that, by the way. I never got chance to thank you before...”

Mettaton placed a hand on Papyrus chin and tilted his head towards him, showing him a compassionate grin as though to say ‘don’t worry about it’. Papyrus smiled in return and carried on down the path, a spring in his step.

* * *

 

The trees soon grew sparse and, like a crack of lightning had sparked the land in front of them and split the surroundings in two, the world opened up to Mettaton for the very first time. In the distance, a town stood, large and bustling, full of life. He could see buildings of various shapes and sizes, presumably places of dwelling for humans, where they spent their daily lives, keeping sheltered from the hazardous effects of weather.

However Mettaton couldn’t guess what the larger buildings were for; that tall one with the spire reaching up to the sky perhaps homed someone important, or maybe something important happened there, Mettaton wasn’t sure. Its beautiful arching windows brought his attention, wishing they were closer to the town to see it in full view.

Mettaton’s preoccupation with this building was soon blown over, though, as Papyrus turned a swift corner, cutting treacherously through brambles that bit at his knees and brought a structure into view that was filled to the brim with grandeur.

If someone important lived in the place with the spire, then this building was fit for someone who held all reverence in the world. It sat just off from the town, towering over it like a guardian watching over its protected subjects. And, to Mettaton’s surprise, Papyrus was heading straight towards it.

“That’s where I live,” Papyrus spoke, noting Mettaton’s intrigue. “That’s the castle!”

 _Castle... castle..._ He’d heard of castles before. Whether he’d read about them or heard someone speak of them (though the former was more likely, talk of humans was sparse under the sea), he’d definitely been made known of their existence.

“Not long now and we’ll be there! Although I’m going to sneak you in through the back... I have a secret route that takes you straight to my room through the gardens. And the gardens should be empty now, save a few guards...” Papyrus was mostly talking to himself at this point. “But I’ve never had much trouble sneaking in and out of there at will in the past!”

Had Mettaton been able to talk, he’d have told Papyrus of all the times he’d had to sneak around in the past also, and how much of a pain it was, trying to plan his route based on the time of day and where everyone would be. But he couldn’t, and so he lay his head back on Papyrus’ chest and let him get on with his plan.

Not being able to gush about his life was proving difficult.

* * *

 

Papyrus made it to the castle with all the swiftness of a knife through butter, knowing all the little shortcuts of a person who’d traversed this land many times before and knew it like the back of their hand. He cut through the gardens like he’d promised, and, to his luck, didn’t even bump into a single guard.

Being prince, Papyrus wouldn’t get into too much trouble, being away from his duties as he had been, but he didn’t know about the fate of the handsome stranger he’d found on the beach. People couldn’t just come to and from the castle as they pleased, and they certainly couldn’t just go straight to the prince’s bedroom.

But this was a serious matter! This man was on the beach, cold and alone, unable to even stand upright! He seemed okay in terms of health, which Papyrus was grateful for, but he couldn’t just walk by when someone needed his help! Especially someone who had saved his own life just a few weeks prior...

Upon reaching the castle, Papyrus took a scan of his surroundings, stepped in through a back door, slipped down a narrow corridor and turned off through a dusty old looking hole in the wall Mettaton hadn’t even spotted before he was already halfway through. This led to a dingy looking passage with no light except through a tall vent in high up by the ceiling. Hurriedly, Papyrus hoicked Mettaton up a cramped, spiralling staircase and through a hatch at the very top.

Mettaton had to commend Papyrus’ strength. Mettaton wasn’t exactly a dainty damsel who weighed nothing more than a toothpick. His days of training as prince had developed rather toned muscles in his arms (which had also seemed to carry on in his newly formed legs) and yet Papyrus carried him as though he feather-light.

The hatch took them to a much more amiable room. The lighting in here was soft, as was the limited palette of the furniture. Mettaton felt like he’d just been carried home, despite never seeing the place before in his life.

“This is my room!” Papyrus said, sitting Mettaton down upon his bed gently, as though he was made of fine china. “I never knew why they put that secret passage there. It’s almost like they want me to escape-- so it’s not _really_ like I’m breaking any rules!” Papyrus rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Now that he’d saved this handsome stranger, and he was here, in his room, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with him. It’s not like anyone could know about him, they’d be too suspicious. No, he’d have to stay here with him for a while- just for good measure!

_Oh no, he’s still wearing nothing but that coat._

Papyrus’ eyes widened. “O-oh! Wait right here, I’m going to go fetch you some clothes,” he said, pointing at Mettaton to say ‘stay put’ as he ran through a door on the other side of the room.

Mettaton kicked his feet idly, still not used to the feeling of having feet to kick in the first place. The warmth that came from the coat was fading slightly, and now it just stuck uncomfortably to his wet body, making him itch.

Though before Mettaton could grow too irritated, Papyrus flew back into the room, a pile of clothes in his hands and a towel over his shoulder.

“Alrighty! I have some clothes here for you- I didn’t know what size I should get for you, but you look similar to me just a little slimmer so...” he plopped the clothes on the bed next to Mettaton, “And I got a towel to dry you with- I mean, a towel for you to dry _yourself_ with. I-uh, unless you need my help? No wait, forget I ever asked that.” Papyrus practically threw the towel at him and turned around, facing the wall. “Just tell me if you need me!” Then he squinted. “Or, well, tap me on the shoulder or something. But wait- you can’t even stand how would you-”

He turned back to Mettaton, and gasped to see the coat already shed and pushed aside. He was rummaging through the clothes, obviously trying to makes heads or tails of them. Papyrus felt for him, he wasn’t sure who this man was or where he came from, but he assumed something rather large must have happened for him to become so disorientated.

Pointedly not looking directly at Mettaton’s nudity, Papyrus pulled out the bottoms from the pile and gave them to Mettaton.

“They go on your legs!” he said, wanting to get this part out of the way as quickly as possible.

Mettaton took them gratefully. He wasn’t entirely sure what Papyrus was being so embarrassed about. Nudity wasn’t a concept for merfolk, people could wear accessories and cover themselves up for the sake of fashion, but clothes were never a necessity.

And yet, now that Mettaton thought about it, he’d never actually seen a human in less than full clothes, even in books. He supposed it must be a part of their culture to hide themselves away, and judging by the way Papyrus was acting right now, he decided he should probably put him out of his awkwardness sooner rather than later.

Mettaton pulled the bottoms on and then wobbled back down onto the bed again.

Relieved that Mettaton was now covered up more modestly, Papyrus took a place on the bed behind him and picked up the towel, deciding to tackle his still soaked hair.

Mettaton gasped as he felt Papyrus’ towelled hands on his head, drying the strands with care.

“You have lovely hair,” Papyrus muttered, quiet enough that Mettaton could have sworn he hadn’t wanted him to hear it.

After a few minutes of Papyrus’ careful hair rubbing, he set the towel to the side and helped him out with the rest of his clothes.

Mettaton wished he could say he was humiliated by the experience, having to be so closely looked after by someone, relying on them so heavily- but he wasn’t. Papyrus passed no judgement, seeming to understand his situation so well without knowing anything at all. It was sweet, really, how considerate he was being.

When Mettaton was finally dressed, he made another attempt at standing up, and Papyrus stood close by in case he needed catching. Luckily for them, Mettaton was much less unbalanced than he’d previously been and was standing quite firmly (and proudly) on two feet.

“You look just like a prince!” Papyrus said, smiling kindly as he looked over Mettaton’s outfit. “Oh! Maybe that’s what we’ll tell people. You’re a prince from some distant realm! Perfect!! No-one will turn away such a fine-looking prince.”

Mettaton smirked at the compliment.

Papyrus looked Mettaton up and down once more, and then narrowed his eyes. “I just realised I have no idea what your name is- can you write?”

Mettaton nodded enthusiastically. Finally! He could tell Papyrus everything.

“Okay! I’m going to fetch some paper and I’ll be straight back!” Papyrus said, almost tripping over himself as he made his way to the door. “My name is Papyrus, by the way,” he said as he laid a tentative hand on the door handle. “Prince Papyrus!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *singing* at lasssst.
> 
> The wonderful everlastingrandom has been working her socks off these past few months and holy moly, I'm so impressed that she's managed to put aside the time to make these beautiful illustrations. Finally, another chapter! I'm so glad!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this! More is on its way!


End file.
